The National Football League — the world’s richest sports league — raked in $13 billion in revenue last year, based on published reports, but that figure pales in comparison to the $35 billion in sales the legalized marijuana industry is expected to generate by 2020.

That’s according to a recent report from Greenwave Advisors, a group that analyzes finances in the emerging market of legalized marijuana, which said its forecast was contingent upon marijuana being legalized at the federal level.

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Ironically, the NFL could play a role in derailing those aspirations if its players continue to be routinely fined and disciplined for smoking or possessing marijuana illegally, industry experts say.

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“The NFL is a very successful organization, but it has also experienced some negative media,” said Steve Janjic, CEO of Amercanex — a fully electronic marketplace exchange for the cannabis industry. “If “cannabusiness” is to survive and earn a legalized federal status, it can’t suffer an avalanche of negative media. That’s why I think now is the time for us to get our house in order.”